Lampard: I’m staying for the lads

Everyone knows Inter made a bid for me, and it was something I had to look at

Frank Lampard

Lampard, 30, signed a five-year contract worth around £130,000 a week yesterday to end months of specul-ation about his future.

And he insisted the support he received from team-mates and staff at the club after the death of his mum Pat last season clinched it.

Lampard said: “My team-mates were a huge factor, particularly John Terry. We spoke about it a lot.

“I’ll never forget what they did for me last season. You don’t want to leave those lads. You want to stay among them.

“This means I’m staying at Chelsea for five years. It’s taken a long time to get where we want to be but we’re very happy with that.”

Chelsea rallied round the England midfielder last season when he was at his lowest ebb and he returned to help them reach the Champions League final.

During the Premier League win over Manchester United last April, the players even held up his No. 8 shirt with the message ‘Pat Lampard – RIP’ on it.

Lampard said: “What my team-mates did for me at the United game was very emotional. I was watching with my family and I’ll never forget it.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the lads for doing that. John, as a captain, creates that kind of spirit and the other lads all follow.

“When you go to your mum’s funeral you expect maybe a representative of the club to be there, but I had every single player there. That shows you what real men are and what real friendships are.

“I’ve had so many letters of support from the fans too that’s it’s been overwhelming. I hope to repay them.

“I feel I’ve got more than five years in me. I pride myself on my fitness and my training and I feel these will be the best years of my career.”

Lampard was on the verge of rejoining Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan at one point this summer and could have left for free when his contract expired next summer.

Chelsea had only offered him a four-year deal but agreed a compromise when Lampard dropped his demands to become their highest earner. He now has parity with Terry.

Lampard said: “Everyone knows Inter made a bid for me, and it was something I had to look at. But knowing the relationship I had with Chelsea, I knew where I wanted to be.

“Now I want the title back, and I want to get back to the Champions League final and win it. I think we’re as strong as we’ve ever been.

“Morale is as high as I’ve known. We’ve got the bit between our teeth. We feel we’ve got a great chance of winning things.

“We’ve got another level to go to. There’s a strong mentality in the lads. We’re all at a good age. We’re all hungry and have great ability. It’s exciting.”

Chelsea have now put all contract talks on hold for the season even though Michael Ballack is in the final year of his deal and Joe Cole and Didier Drogba have only two years to go. Talks with all three are on hold.